Både kjelleren og taket trenger maling.

Both the basement and the roof need paint.

Breakdown of Både kjelleren og taket trenger maling.

• trenge: to need
• og: and
• kjelleren: the basement
• både: both
• taket: the roof
• malingen: the paint

Questions & Answers about Både kjelleren og taket trenger maling.

What does både … og mean and how is it used here?

både … og is the Norwegian equivalent of “both … and.” It links two elements to show that the statement applies to each of them. In the example, både kjelleren og taket means “both the basement and the roof.”

Why are kjelleren and taket in the definite form?

In Norwegian you add a suffix to make a noun definite. Here kjeller (basement) becomes kjelleren (“the basement”) and tak (roof) becomes taket (“the roof”). The speaker refers to specific, known parts of the house.

Why is it trenger maling instead of using an infinitive like trenger å male?

trenger can take a noun object to express “needs something.” So trenger maling literally means “needs paint/painting.” It’s a shorter way of saying “it needs to be painted.” If you want to focus on the action, you can use the infinitive construction trenger å male (“needs to paint”), but that usually shifts the focus to someone doing the painting.

What does maling exactly translate to – “paint” or “painting”?

maling is a noun that can mean either “paint” (the substance) or “painting” (the act) depending on context. In trenger maling, it’s understood as “needs painting” (the action), though you could also interpret it as “needs paint.”

Can I also say kjelleren og taket trenger å males?

Yes. trenger å males uses the passive infinitive males (“to be painted”). It means the same: “the basement and the roof need to be painted.” Both versions are correct; trenger maling is more concise, while trenger å males sounds a bit more formal or explicit.

Why is the verb trenger in the second position rather than immediately after “både”?

Norwegian is a V2 (verb-second) language. Regardless of what starts the sentence (here the phrase både kjelleren og taket), the finite verb (trenger) must come next. Only after that can you add objects or other elements (maling).

How would I say “We need to paint the basement and the roof” in Norwegian?

You have two natural options:
1) Vi trenger å male kjelleren og taket. (We need to paint the basement and the roof.)
2) Vi må male kjelleren og taket. (“We must paint…” – using må expresses obligation rather than need.)